Transfer Policies

Academic Policies

1st year required courses

The following are first year required courses at the University of Florida Levin College of Law:

Contracts 5000

Criminal Law 5100

Torts 5700

Professional Responsibility 6750**

Introduction to Lawyering 5755***

Civil Procedure 5301

Constitutional Law 5501

Property 5400

Legal Research/Legal Writing 5792

Appellate Advocacy 5793

Those required courses not taken at your prior institution must be completed during your first year of study at the Levin College of Law.

The Assistant Dean of Students will review your transcripts prior to the start of classes to determine which course(s) you will be required to register during your first and/or second semester. Please also be advised that Legal Drafting is a required second year course and you will be required to take this course during the first fall or spring term you enroll as a student at the UF College of Law. Finally, the Assistant Dean of Students will register you for all required courses, thus, if you have a specific request for a particular course section please contact Dean Mattox at mattoxk@law.ufl.edu.

**NOTE: Starting in the Fall 2012 term, Professional Responsibility is no longer a required first year course, however, students who transfer and matriculate in the Fall 2012 term, must complete this course to meet degree requirements as other students in their class have already completed this course.

***NOTE: Starting in the Fall 2012 term, Introduction to Lawyering is a first year required course for all students matriculating into law school for the first time (as a 1L student). However, students who transfer in as 2L’s are not required to complete this course at any time to meet degree requirements for the Juris Doctor degree from UF.

Degree Requirements

Registration Priority Courses

These courses are not required, but the faculty recommends them for the designated term. Registration for these courses will be allowed in the term of priority. Registration in any other term is subject to space availability after Advanced Registration.Note: Certificate program students have registration priority for some classes.

Second and Third Years

Second Year – Registration Priority Courses:

Estates and Trusts* 6430 (3)

Evidence* 6330 (4)

Legal Drafting (required) 6955 (2)

Corporations* 6063 (3)

Unincorporated Business Enterprises 6930 (3)

Interviewing, Counseling, and Negotiation 6930 (3)

NOTE: When transferring, many second year registration priority courses may be full when transfer students attempt to register. Thus, transfer students may not be able to take these courses until a future semester unless the courses are added during the drop/add period.

Third Year – Registration Priority Courses

Trial Practice* 6363 (4)

Grades

Per faculty policy, the mean grade for all course sections is 3.15-3.25, inclusive. For courses in which there are 25 or fewer students, there is no minimum and the maximum is 3.60.

Letter grades translate as follows:

A= 4.0

A-= 3.67

B+= 3.33

B= 3.0,

B-= 2.67

C += 2.33

C=2.0

C-= 1.67

D+= 1.33

D= 1.0

D-= 0.67

E= 0.0

Transfer of Credits Policy

Transfer of credits will be permitted based on the following criteria:

A student may request to transfer up to 29 hours of classes taken at another ABA accredited institution. The credits you earn will be accepted towards your J.D. degree at the Levin College of Law, provided that you adhere to the following rules:

A student will not receive credit for any Levin College of Law required courses taken at another law school without prior written permission.

A student will not receive credit for a course taken at the Levin College of Law if the same course was taken at another law school and those credits were transferred.

A student will receive credit for elective courses only if the student earns a grade of 2.0, “C”, or its equivalent or higher in the course. The grades will appear as “S” grades on the UF transcript and will not be calculated in the grade point average.

The College does not have any articulation agreements with other institutions.

Joint Degree Information

Transfer students are not eligible for joint degree programs due to the maximum number of transfer credits allocated at the time of transfer.

Non-graduate course options

Transfer students are not eligible for the graduate course option due to the maximum limit of transfer credits allocated at the time of transfer.

Order of the Coif

Transfer students are eligible for Order of the Coif as long as when determining compliance with the 75 percent graded course requirement for Coif membership, the student’s transferred credits are considered as having been earned in a “graded course” if, at the time the course was taken, a grade was received. Graduation, GPA and class rank will continue to be determined as provided in the grading policies of the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Westlaw, Lexis Nexis

Upon transfer to the University of Florida Levin College of Law, you will need a WestLaw and LexisNexis account with UF. You will receive this information prior to the start of classes for the term either from the representatives from Westlaw and LexisNexis or the Assistant Dean of Students. You will need access to both systems to conduct research and/or access assignments, syllabi and other information posted by professors.

Certificate Programs

UF Law currently has 6 established certificate programs that provide for specific areas of specialization. The current programs are listed below but for additional information regarding requirements for the programs, please visit http://www.law.ufl.edu/programs/ to find the specific program and contact information.

Environmental and Land Use Law Certificate

UF Law’s Environmental and Land Use Law Certificate Program enables students to demonstrate concentration and accomplishment in these two important fields. Certificate requirements were developed by faculty in consultation with an advisory board of leading practitioners from private firms, government agencies and non-profit organizations. Enrolled students take eight credit hours above their JD requirements to graduate. Thus, unlike similar programs elsewhere, students in this personalized curriculum enjoy both breadth and depth in their studies.

Estates & Trusts Practice Certificate

This area of the law is of considerable practical importance since it involves counseling clients on how to effectively provide for themselves and dispose of property during their lifetime or at death. The practice involves planning, drafting and administering gratuitous transfers of property, thus implicating the law of gifts, trusts, future interests, intestate succession, wills, probate, fiduciary law and taxation. Perhaps more importantly, the practice involves counseling clients on the many complex issues confronting the elderly.

Family Law Certificate

The increasing complexity of divorce law and children’s law and the rise of the nontraditional family make family law one of the fastest growing and most intricate practice specialties. One new demand, for example, was created by a Florida Supreme Court mandate that established the “Unified Family Court” to handle all family, juvenile and delinquency matters. Administered by the Center on Children and Families, the certificate program offers sequential clinical and classroom experiences for effective training in areas such as child development, family economics, negotiation and drafting, and courtroom advocacy.

Intellectual Property Law Certificate

Traditionally, intellectual property law encompasses several different bodies of law, including patents, trade secrets, copyrights and trademarks. The technology boom has expanded the need for patent lawyers as well as those trained in related fields such as antitrust, media, cyberlaw and general commercial law. The demand also continues to grow for those who can adapt or create doctrines in new fields — such as genetic engineering, accessing and downloading Internet materials, and disputes involving domain names, metatags and hyperlinks — as well as for those who can apply these laws in more traditional Industries and the creative arts.

International and Comparative Law Certificate

Every field of law that involves commerce — civil procedure, business associations, securities regulation, intellectual property, trade regulation, taxation, immigration and environmental law, among others —is affected by globalization. Equally important is the development of human rights laws, domestically and internationally. This certificate program helps prepare students for practice in this new global legal environment by teaching international aspects of every area of the law.

Criminal Justice Certificate

An effective criminal justice system is a fundamental component of a just and prosperous civilization. Our nation has an elaborate system of laws and procedures designed to protect the accused, punish offenders, and preserve the peace. Not surprisingly, a large number of UF College of Law graduates go on to careers in criminal law in both the public and private sectors. One of the primary goals of our Criminal Justice Center is to enhance the law school experience of these students by providing them with academic advising, mentorship, area-specific education, and detailed criminal-practice training.

In particular, the Center’s Criminal Justice Certificate Program provides students who are interested in criminal law — either as an area of academic study or as one of future practice, or both — with a unique opportunity to obtain and demonstrate special competency in the field. The program offers a rich and coordinated curriculum, clinical programs, independent studies, summer externships, networking opportunities, and the chance to participate in the Criminal Law Association.

Study Abroad

Not eligible for non-UF study abroad due to the maximum number of transfer credits allocated at time of transfer.